


Nature Boy

by chalkytalkie



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: AU where Kurapika and Leorio are married and adopt Killua, Gen, I just really wanted some fluffy family stuff, M/M, completely self-indulgent btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-07 20:03:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chalkytalkie/pseuds/chalkytalkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Killua crawled for the first time into Kurapika and Leorio’s bed because of a nightmare, Kurapika’s first reaction was to inwardly panic for a few seconds – he didn’t remember whether Leorio had put on his pajama pants before bed or not (to Kurapika’s relief, a slight brush of Leorio’s legs on his revealed that he had).<br/>Kurapika’s second reaction was to want to cry.<br/>[in hiatus forever bc of Reasons]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Killua crawled for the first time into Kurapika and Leorio’s bed because of a nightmare, Kurapika’s first reaction was to inwardly panic for a few seconds – he didn’t remember whether Leorio had put on his pajama pants before bed or not (to Kurapika’s relief, a slight brush of Leorio’s legs on his revealed that he had). Killua wiggled under the covers, quiet as a mouse, and settled between his adoptive parents with a sigh. Kurapika pretended to still be asleep as Killua nestled into his chest and clutched the front of his t-shirt, his small face burrowed on Kurapika’s neck.

Kurapika’s second reaction was to want to cry.

* * *

Leorio and Kurapika had been married for quite some time when the topic of having kids came up. Both of them wanted to have one – Leorio because he had grown up in a big family; Kurapika because he had no family left. After discussing their options for months (they considered arranging a surrogate mother, but settled for traditional adoption instead), with Leorio paying frequent visits to his mother to ask her how she went about raising him and his siblings and Kurapika reading any book he could find on the subject, at least a year went by between selecting an agency, completing a home study and waiting for a placement. But finally, after going through all the bureaucracy needed, Kurapika and Leorio came home with 6 year-old boy named Killua on Christmas Day.

Killua was a smart kid, specially for his age – he would read books meant for older children while most of the others in his age group were only starting to learn basic words, and knew how to write and do maths far beyond 1st grade level. He was also witty in a way children his age rarely were, having taken a liking to referring to Leorio as “old man”, much to Leorio’s dismay and Kurapika’s amusement. Killua, the couple noticed quickly, was a bit of a loner – he liked to play by himself in their small backyard, and when Kurapika took him to the playground nearby he would play next to the other kids, but not with them.

Kurapika and Leorio had been informed by the agency that Killua was from “a tough home” – but they didn’t quite see just _how_ bad his biological family had been until an incident a couple of months after the adoption became official. Kurapika worked from home, so he tried his best to get most of his work done in the morning to be able to spend the afternoon with Killua (even if it meant just sitting next to him while he watched cartoons or watching him play in the backyard from the kitchen window). However, on that particular day his workload had been heavier than usual, which left Kurapika spending his morning AND afternoon on his laptop, stopping only to pick up Killua from school and Leorio from the hospital, have lunch with them and then drop Leorio by the hospital again.

Kurapika had been typing away on his laptop for a few hours that afternoon while Killua played outside when he heard something falling in the backyard with a muffled thud, similar to the sound the neighbor’s cat made when it fell from their tree a few days back, but much louder. Before Kurapika could even get up from the kitchen chair, Killua opened the backdoor, walked up to him and pointed with his right hand to his left forearm – which, to Kurapika’s horror, had turned red and swollen and definitely _not normal_. In spite of his injury, Killua didn’t look like he was in pain; he simply cocked his head to the side, furrowed his brow and stated:

“I think it’s broken.”

After a half-panicked phonecall to Leorio, a rushed car trip to the hospital and an X-ray, Killua’s left arm was immobilized in a plaster cast. Kurapika sat with him in the waiting room while Leorio talked to the orthopedist that had attended to them.

“Killua” Kurapika asked in a soft voice. “Does it hurt too badly?”

“Uh-huh” he replied, the heart-shaped lollipop a nurse gave him (“for being a brave young man”, she had said) still in his mouth. “My old parents did worse stuff though, so it’s no problem.”

That night, after Killua had already fallen asleep in his bedroom, Kurapika reported to Leorio what their son had said, barely holding back his tears.

“I didn’t know it was that bad.” he whispered, burying his head on his husband’s neck. “Just thinking about those... _People_ hurting Killua like that! He’s six year old, goddammit!”

“Shh, it’s ok Kurapika, he’s with us now” Leorio said, rubbing small circles on Kurapika’s back to soothe him. “He’ll be ok with us now.”

For the following 3 weeks, Kurapika did his best to not get teary-eyed whenever he covered Killua’s cast with plastic before his bath, or when Killua complained that the cast was itchy and wanted to take it off. He mostly suceeded.

* * *

The first time it happened, Leorio woke up with a startle, not knowing exactly what had woken him up until he saw his husband’s sillouette bolting out of the room and another broken scream coming from Killua’s room; he jumped out of bed on pure reflex and stumbled after Kurapika, who was crouching near Killua’s bed when Leorio reached the door. He was whispering comforting words to their son, who was shaking and looked way too small for his bed. Kurapika’s hand hovered over his shoulder, maybe to avoid frightening the boy even more. When Leorio tentatively approached the bed, Killua’s breathing was starting to even out.

“Killua.” Leorio called him with a low whisper. Killua turned to look at him.

“Bad dream.” he stated, his tiny voice weak. Leorio sat in the bed next to Killua; the sudden spark of adrenaline that made him run to his son’s room was running out, and his body was reminded that it was probably about 2am and he had had less than 3 hours of sleep that night.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“...Not really.”

“Alright.” Leorio glanced at Kurapika, wondering what would be the best course of action at the moment. “What do you want to do now, Killua?”

Killua’s eyes dropped to the sheets he clutched in his fists, pondering over Leorio’s question. Kurapika sensed he wasn’t as agitated as before, and let his hand drop to Killua’s shoulder.

“... Can you guys... Stay?” Killua said quietly. “Stay here with me?” Kurapika and Leorio glanced at each other and smiled.

“Of course.”

It took a few minutes for Kurapika and Leorio to find a fairly comfortable position on Killua’s bed without either smothering their son between their bodies or Leorio’s legs dangling off the bed, but they managed it. Leorio woke up the next morning with a terrible crick on his neck, and Kurapika’s arms had fallen asleep so throughly that full sensation only returned to them in the middle of the morning.

Even so, seeing Killua waking up with a smile that didn’t go away for the entire day was worth it.

* * *

 The morning after Killua crawled into Kurapika and Leorio’s bed for the first time, Kurapika woke up before the alarm clock rang. Killua had let go of his t-shirt sometime during the night and slipped further down the bed – the only part of him visible was his fluffy white hair poking from under the blanket. Kurapika carefully reached over Leorio’s body to press the alarm’s button – he’d wake his husband up himself so Killua wouldn’t wake up too.

Exactly at 6:30am, Kurapika shook Leorio’s shoulder slightly.

“Hnng-- What?” Leorio mumbled, his eyes slowly opening and focusing on Kurapika’s. “Oh. Good morning.”

Kurapika brought his index finger to his lips, signaling Leorio to be quiet, and pointed to the small lump underneath the blanket.

“ _Oh_.” Leorio mouthed, his eyes turning soft. “ _It’s the first time, isn’t it?_ ”

Kurapika nodded, stifling a giggle behind his hands. They laid there for a while longer, the only sounds in the room being the ticking of the clock and their breathing. Leorio and Kurapika grinned at each other, holding hands over the pillow. Kurapika glanced at the clock again and, seeing that his husband needed to get out of bed soon or he’d be late for work, cocked his head in the bathroom’s general direction and whispered, “ _Go_.”

Leorio kissed Kurapika’s fingers and slowly slipped out of bed, careful not to make too much noise. Killua stirred in his sleep – he’d probably wake up on his own in a couple of minutes, Kurapika thought. Threading his fingers through his son’s hair carefully, Kurapika heard the shower starting and the cupboards under the bathroom sink opening and closing. His mind drifted to what he’d make for breakfast that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how many chapters this fanfic is going to have, but I'm already working on the next one! I'll probably put it up soon.  
> Also, I'm not a native English speaker, so if there's anything wrong/weird with this chapter or the following ones, please hit me up! I try to revise my works several times to make sure there's no mistakes but there's always the chance I missed something here or there.  
> <http://www.chalkytalkie.tumblr.com>


	2. Chapter 2

For some reason, Leorio was very popular with the nurses at the hospital – not in a womanizer-doctor-with-a-thing-for-nurses sort of way, but more like an older, wise brother or dependable, confidant son, depending on the nurse’s age. The fact that he never mixed up their names and birthdays probably factored in his popularity, as well as his marriage to Kurapika and the newest addition to their family, Killua. He felt the other resident doctors were a bit envious of him for that – it was certainly _noticeable_ that when Leorio called a nurse, she’d come much faster than if it was any other doctor calling, and they’d always greet him with a smile. There was also the fact that every year all the nurses not-so-secretly hoped to be picked out by him in the hospital’s Secret Santa, because he always put a lot of thought into the presents, even if it was something simple. Leorio wasn’t even _trying_ to be charming like that – it was just the way he naturally was. The nurses usually liked to spend their breaks with him, too – even if he didn’t care much for hospital gossip, he was a good listener and gave good advice when asked.

So, it wasn’t that much of a surprise when Mito, a receptionist that had been working at the hospital for about as much as he had and with whom he had exchanged maybe 10 words in total during that time, asked to talk to him in private after their lunch break.

“Dr. Leorio,” Mito started as soon as he sat down next to her in a bench at the parking lot, “sorry for bothering you so suddenly like that. I don’t really have anyone else to ask this, so...”

“No, no, it’s alright, Mito.” he chuckled before continuing in a more concerned tone “What is this about, anyway? Did something happen?”

“Well, the thing is... I have some family business to sort out at my hometown, my grandma wants to sell her house and come live here with me and Gon – my nephew” she explained, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. “There’s some documents I need to check over there, and I have to make sure Grandma wasn’t scammed by any real state agents or anything”

“I’ll probably be away for a few days, but there’s this problem.” Mito sighed “I can’t take Gon with me, but I don’t know anyone who can take care of him while I’m away.”

“So,” he said slowly, “you’re saying you want me to take care of your nephew while you’re away?”

“Basically! I’m sorry for burdening you like this when we don’t even talk that often...!” she said flustered, wringing her hands on her lap. “But all my friends are too busy to take care of Gon, and I mentioned it to some of the nurses and they directed me to you, since your son and Gon are about the same age...”

Leorio put his hand to his chin, thinking about it. He’d still need to talk to Kurapika about it, of course, but he didn’t really see any reason his husband would object doing Mito this small favor. Besides, maybe living closer to another child for a few days would make Killua open up to others more. Mito was a nice girl – very hard-working and efficient at her job. Even if they didn’t know each other very well, Leorio could easily see that.

“Well, I’m gonna have to discuss this with Kurapika first...”

“Of course!”

“... But it’d be my pleasure to help you out, Mito.” Leorio smiled, adjusting his glasses. “I’m sure Kurapika and Killua would love to, as well.”

* * *

A few days later, Mito knocked on their front door right as they finished cleaning up after dinner. Leorio and Kurapika got the door, while Killua sat on the couch, eyes on the TV but hearing attentively the conversation happening a few meters away.

“…And again, thank you so much for looking after Gon.”

“It’s alright!” Leorio laughed – that was probably the 7th time she thanked him that week. “I mean, we already have one kid, taking care of two for a few days probably won’t be that different.”

Mito smiled and looked down to the young boy holding her hand. “Now, Gon, promise me you’ll behave while i’m away, alright?”

“I promise, Mito-san!” the boy chirped, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder and raising his pinky finger to Mito. They entwined their pinkies and concluded the promise by joining their thumbs. Leorio and Kurapika couldn’t help smiling at how endearing Gon’s wide, brown eyes and gravity-defying hair were. “You’ll call me while you’re away?”

“Every night!”

“Yay!!” Gon tugged on her hand, and Mito promptly kneeled to give him a goodbye hug.

“I better get going, or I’ll miss my bus.” she turned to Leorio and Kurapika, and offered them a handshake. “Please call me if there’s any trouble.”

Killua heard some more small talk and the front door closing, and straightened on his seat. After his parents had sat down with him and explained that they’d be taking care of Leorio’s coworker’s kid for a few days, Killua was having mixed feelings about it. He’d told them he didn’t care as long as the boy kept to himself and didn’t snoop on his stuff, but if he was honest to himself, Killua felt a bit nervous about the whole thing.

Other kids didn’t really approach him to play at school – maybe because he gave off the vibe of someone who didn’t want to be bothered. Or maybe they thought he was weird. And he didn’t approach other kids because... Killua didn’t really know why, he just didn’t. He just kept his distance and it was fine to him; he could play by himself and have just as much fun.

But living in the same house as a boy his age, even for just a few days, would make him unable to keep his distance, wouldn’t it? Specially if said boy was the extroverted type his fast steps and excited voice indicated, as Kurapika and Leorio led him into the house. Killua’s eyes were still glued to the TV.

“…We already had dinner, but we can make something for you if you’re hungry.” Killua heard Kurapika say in a gentle tone.

“No thank you, I’m good!”

“Well, just make yourself at home, Gon” Leorio said. “Killua’s in the living room, why don’t you say hi?”

He gritted his teeth – his eyes were already boring holes on the TV screen from how hard he was staring at it. Maybe if he ignored Gon he’d go away, Killua thought.

“Hey, Killua!” the boy sat next to him on the couch, and Killua glanced from the corner of his eye, which then widened in realization. He’d seen Gon before – he’d seen him at school, running around with other kids at recess, playing with the girls in the sandbox and picking up bugs with the other boys. They were from different classes, so they’d never talked to each other before.

“I’m Gon!” Killua turned his head to properly face him. “We go to the same school!”

“Yeah.” Killua felt some of the nervousness from before creeping up again, and bit his lip.

“Whatcha watching?”

“Huh? Ah,” he whipped his head back to see the colorful, box-shaped robot cartoon characters on the screen, “ChocoRobos Activate.”

“Ahh, you like them too?” Gon smiled again, and for some inexplicable reason, Killua smiled with him.

“I kinda prefer the chocolate,” Killua ran his hands through his hair, “but the show is alright too.”

Gon nodded, and kept talking for what seemed like hours – but for some reason, Killua wasn’t bored or annoyed by his mindless chatter as he would be with other people. Gon asked a _lot_ of questions, some of them very stupid (“How old are you, Killua?” “I’m 7.” “Ehh, me too!!” “We’re in the same year, stupid! Of course we’re the same age!”), but Killua surprised himself as he realized he didn’t actually mind Gon’s questions. In fact, to his shock, he found himself _enjoying_ answering them. It was the longest conversation Killua remembered having with a person his own age in a long time.

Killua was so distracted by Gon that he didn’t notice Kurapika and Leorio watching them from the door, amused smiles on their faces.

* * *

“Hey, boys, it’s bedtime.” Leorio called them from the door. It was about 9pm, and even if it was a Friday and therefore not a school night, Kurapika still insisted for bedtime to be enforced anyway – even though they knew Killua didn’t always fall asleep as early as he should. The two boys interrupted their discussion about which ChocoRobo Soldier they liked more – Gon liked the GreenChoco because it was his favorite color, and Killua liked RedChoco because it was his favorite chocolate –, jumped from the couch, turned off the TV and followed Leorio out of the living room.

“I put the extra mattress in your room, Killua, and your bags are in there too, Gon.” Leorio said, stopping at the door of his own room while the boys went to Killua’s down the hall. “ _Sleep_ , alright? We’ll _know_ if you two stay up late, no matter how quiet you think you’re being.”

Killua opened the door for Gon and, sticking out his tongue to Leorio playfully, said “Good night, old man.” and closed the door behind him, listening to Leorio’s consternated “Kurapika! Killua is disrespecting me again! Do something about it!” “He’s your son too, Leorio, _you_ do something about it.” “KURAPIKA!!” “If you’re going to keep yelling please close the door.” Soon after, the boys heard the other door closing as well.

“Wait, they’re both your dads?” Killua turned to look at Gon, who had the most awed expression on his face.

“Yeah, so what?”

“That’s so _cool_ , Killua!” Gon moved to get his backpack on the floor, and Killua walked over to his wardrobe. “I didn’t know people could have two dads!”

“Well, I mean, they didn’t exactly _have_ me, you know” Killua turned his back to Gon, stripping off his shirt and putting on the pajamas. “I’m adopted. I’ve only been here for a year or so.”

“Oh, I see.” Killua heard the shuffle of fabric a few feet behind him, and the zipper of Gon’s backpack opening and closing. “I guess I’m sort of adopted too, but Mito-san is my aunt, so I don’t know if that counts.”

“Hmm, I don’t know either” he shrugged. “What happened to your parents?”

“My dad left me with Mito-san a long time ago – she says he was very busy with his work at the time, and couldn’t take care of me. And I’ve never met my mom, so Mito-san is sort of a mom to me instead.” Killua looked back to see Gon scratching the back of his head, already wearing his pajamas.

“I’m gonna brush my teeth.” Killua said, gathering his discarted clothes to put them away in the laundry basket. Gon nodded, reached into his backpack once again to get his toothbrush, and followed Killua into the bathroom.

* * *

The boys woke up the next morning to Kurapika and Leorio making chocolate pancakes in the kitchen. Killua and Gon quickly glanced at each other, and the impromptu mad dash to see who would be the first to get to the kitchen resulted in a bookcase nearly toppled over, Leorio’s hospital files scattered all over the living room, bruised knees and a disapproving stare from Kurapika as he flipped a pancake on the frying pan (though the slight upturn in the corner of his mouth betrayed his amusement).

It was the first of the many small competitions that permeated Killua and Gon’s friendship from then on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 50% of the process of writing this chapter was thinking of how the ChocoRobo chocolate brand could branch into a successful children's TV show. It'd be like, animated sentai chocolate robots or something like that. Each ChocoRobo Soldier has an identifying color like the Power Rangers. Chocolate-related superpowers. Ubiquitous merchandising. _I don't know._  
>  Thanks everyone for the kind comments! I'll try my best to update regularly (though real life might get in the way sometimes).


End file.
